Railway ticket or pass



"N M d l.) 8 (m1. MEGQUIER.

RAILWAY TICKET 0R PASS.

No. 588,114. Patented Aug 10,1897.-

Chicago, Tacoma & Boston Railway.

Pass:

Account Gaol MNE JTO \mTNEssEs:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. MEGQUIER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALE TO LEE VAN TUCKER, AMASA MORSE, LOUISA M. MORSE, AND H. S. GREENO,

OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY TICKET OR PASS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,114, dated August 10, 1897.

Application filed September 14, 1896. Serial No. 605,720. (No specimens.)

To all whOm, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. MEG UIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lilinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Tickets or Passes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to that class of railway tickets or passes which are issued for personal use only and not transferable, and more especially to the class in which each ticket-or pass as it is issued is personally signed or countersigned by the OfflCGl issuing it as a guarantee of its genuineness; and my invention has for its primary object to provide a form of ticket or pass which shall be proof against the fraudulent alteration of the name of either thedestination or starting-station, or both, without detection.

\Vith these ends in View my invention consists in certain features of novelty hereinafter described with reference to the drawing and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

The said drawing is an illustration of the face of a railway ticket or pass embodying my invention and showing the manner in which the same may be filled out. Y

In carrying out my invention I print or indicate on one end of the slip or ticket the matter usually employed to designate the name of the railway, the number of the ticket or pass, the date on which it is issued, the party to whom it is issued, and any other desired matter, such as the account against which the pass is to be charged and the date upon which it will expire. All of this may be of the usual or any suitable form. The other end or remaining portion of the pass slip or ticket is provided with two vertical columns A B, and these columns are crossed bya number of substantially parallel horizontal lines C, which where they cross the columns A Bform checks D D, and between the two columns A B is printed the word to or any other matter to indicate that the holder of the pass is entitled to passage between the two stations appearing on opposite sides of the word to or such matter.

in the same. manner that the letters of the starting-station are placed in the checks D, and the first letter of each station, or of both the starting-station and the destination, is located in the uppermost one of the checks D D below the heavy division-line E, which is made heavier-than the lines C, so that the checks D D may not be continued farther up the slip.

The letters-forming the names of the starting-station and the destination may be either written onthe pass or ticket at the time of its issue by the party issuing it or such letters may be printed therein at the time the balance of the form is printed; but in either event it is desirable to print or write them in red ink or some ink of a color that will contrast with the ink in which the signatures are written. The uppermost one of the lines C is for the signature of the officer, such as the general manager, who authorizes the issuance of the pass or ticket, and the title F of his office is indicated immediately below such uppermost line C, so as to direct him where to sign and so that in signing his name upon the uppermost line C he may sign it across the first letter of the name of the destination or of the name of the starting-station, or both, and thus render fraudulent alteration of either of such letters practically impossible without detection; The cross-lines C, in addition to being for the purpose of forming the check D D, are for the signature of the officer or party by Whom the pass or ticket is countersigned, so that he may sign his name across either or both of the columns A B, it being understood by the officersand. employees of the road that the last letter of-the destination falls directly in the last check D that is crossed by the signature of the countersigner. Hence it is evident that in order to alter the name of the destination when the same is Colorado, for instance, it would be necessary to find a destination with an equal number of letters and beginning and ending with O and 0, respectively, and while this might be done the chances that the particular destination which it is desired to change the ticket to would have the same number of letters as the authorized destination or would have the same beginning and ending are so remote as to render the ticket or pass thus constructed practically proof against fraudulent alteration.

As a further safeguard against the fraudulent alteration of the name of either the destination or the starting-point the edge of the ticket opposite each vowel or consonant, according to the understanding had concerning its use, is notched or clipped out, as shown at G, on the destination side and at H on the starting-station side, the directions concerning the use of the ticket being of course printed on the back of the ticket, if desired; but the conductors or other employees may be instructed concerning it in any other suitable way. I

In the example of my invention shown in the drawing all of the vowels of both the starting-station and the destination are clipped out at the edges of the ticket or pass, and this being the understanding when the ticket is issued and used the name of either the starting-station or of the destination could not be altered, even though the other safeguards before described should fail, unless the names that it might be desired to substitute have the same number of vowels and the same arrangement as are contained in the stations originally authorized on the face of the ticket or pass, and the chances of such a coincidence are so remote as to render this additional safeguardi. 6., the clipping of the edges opposite the vowels or opposite the consonants practically proof against fraudulent alteration.

Having thus described my invention, what posite all letters of a predetermined class in said name, substantially as set forth.

2. As a new and useful article of manufacture a railway ticket or pass provided with two vertical substantially parallel columns and a number of transverse lines crossing said columns and forming checks therewith, the letters of the name of the starting-station being disposed in the checks of one of said columns respectively and each letter of the name of the destination being located in one of the checks of the other column, substantially as set. forth.

3. As a new and useful article of manufacture a railway ticket or pass having the name ing the checks D D, the title of the olficer issuing the ticket indicated immediately below the upper one of said. horizontal lines, the word to being indicated between said vertical columns, the name of the startingstation indicated in one of said vertical col. umns, the letters of the name of the destination being disposed separately in the checks D of the other column and the first letter thereof being placed above the uppermost one of said horizontal lines or in the uppermost one of said checks D", and the edge ofsaid pass or-ticket opposite each letter of a predetermined class in said destination being clipped or mutilated and the name of the countersigner being placed on the one of the said horizontal lines which forms the lower side of the check D containing the last letter of said destination, substantially as set forth.

GEORGE H. MEGQUIER.

YVitnesses F. A. I'IOPKINS, J NO. G. ELLIOTT. 

